Because if there were an actual demand for them, there would be no need for this legislation.

After a year of partisan combat and legislative stalemate, President Bush and Democratic congressional leaders came together yesterday for a holiday season consensus as they enacted legislation to promote energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) joined Bush for their first bill-signing ceremony with him since Democrats took over Congress in January, using the occasion to look past the disputes that marked a year of divided government.

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The new law increases the fuel-efficiency standards for passenger vehicles for the first time since 1975, requiring new cars to average 35 miles per gallon by 2020 instead of the 25 mpg now required. It also requires fuel producers to use at least 36 billion gallons of ethanol and other biofuels by 2022, a fivefold increase over the current standard, to reduce the dependence on oil. And it includes new rules and incentives to encourage greater efficiency in light bulbs and buildings.

Americans have shown time and again with their checkbooks that they want bigger, more heavily powered vehicles. Increasing the fleet standards will likely require that the automobile manufacturers produce more small vehicles with less powerful engines. And we know that such vehicles are, by and large, less safe for drivers and passengers than the larger, heavier vehicles.

And for the record, I don't drive an SUV -- I drive a smaller vehicle that meets the 35 MPG standard (or at least comes close). I do so by choice.

When will the crew in Washington read Adam Smith?